Reviews by UpToMeBeer:

Just made my first trip to River North; tried a few offerings; this was my favorite. It's got the raisins, burnt sugars, Belgian yeast you'd expect from a Belgian quad. A nice assortment of spices. Really impressed by this. If I wasn't in such a hurry, I'd have let it warm more to discover (perhaps) even more... (313 characters)

Pours a hazy dark amber brown in the Societe small nonic. Not much foam, but a little spritz in the mouth. Aroma of dried figs and bread.

Intensely raisiny, some burnt sugar, and the dry burn of the Belgian yeast. Tastes more bitter than the claimed 24 IBU. Some serious fruitcake flavors. Very dark roasted malt. The yeasty Belgian flavors come on strong. Spicy and a little hot on the tongue. Some sweet flavors but a lighter body than you'd expect for a Quad. This is kind of an oddity. More like a murky Dubbel with a shot of vodka.

APPEARANCE: Deep, gorgeous, mahogany in color with a quarter-inch head that foams up for three seconds before quickly fading into just a few wisps floating around on the surface. There is no lacing to speak of.

SMELL: The aroma here is strong and oozes malt; brown sugar, banana, clove, coriander, sweetness. This is a very well-balanced smell with the banana becoming much more pronounced when the beer is swirled.

TASTE: The term “malt bomb” does not carry the same connotation that “hop bomb” does, so I am hesitant to use the term here, but I mean it in the same sense as a hop bomb in that this is everything you want malt to be in a beer. The level of sweetness is just perfect for the style, short of being cloying, but strong enough to make for an outstanding dessert beer. The yeast is also doing a lot of wonderful things here, providing that outstanding banana and clove flavor.

MOUTHFEEL: A very light tickle compliments the fuller-bodied, rich and very sweet mouthfeel. Despite the “very sweet” aspect, it is still amazingly drinkable.

OVERALL: As a Barleywine fan, this beer reminds me a lot of a nice, big American-style Barleywine if it were focused all on the malt with no gigantic hop bill to balance it out. Not my favorite style, but a beautifully crafted beer for the category. (1,317 characters)

A - 4.5 - Poured a very hazy, dark brown with touches of orange and ruby. Formed about a third finger of lightly tan colored, quickly dissipating head. Weak head potential and retention, but to be expected from the extreme ABV. Nice solid lacing rings left behind on the walls of the glass.S - 5 - It's exactly what you'd want it to smell like. Plum, raison, black cherry, wine, belgian yeast and malt.T - 5 - Oh man, wow. Upfront at first sip there is lightly sweet belgian yeast and malt, but suddenly it develops, especially as you exhale, HUGE amounts of raisin, currant, fig, plum, bourbon, caramel, marzipan, vanilla, black cherries and grapes, wine and a GIANT dusting of brown sugar. Absolutely delectable. F - 4.75 - Nice medium/full bodied creamy mouthfeel.O - 5 - This is what I would consider an ideal, PERFECT representation of the Belgian quad style, and the whiskey barrel aging really adds a nice touch of brown sugar to the brew. If you're fortunate enough to get your hands on this stuff, you HAVE to give it a try and set some back in the cellar to age if you're a fan of the style. You will NOT be disappointed in this one!!!!! (1,187 characters)

Appearance of this beer is an amber/brown, mostly cloudy with some co2 bubbles and riled up sediment apparent. No head to speak of but a bit of a foam ring and some stuck to the sides of the glass.

Smell is of apple cider and a hint of a tart vinegary aroma.

Taste, at first, is a battle between sweet and sour that quickly gets cut with a bite of whiskey. The whiskey fades and you are left with a mixture of sweet, sour, apple, raisin, and wine with a smokey/oaky tart finish. Heavy Malt and Belgian yeast tones are apparent throughout.

The mouth-feel of this beer is fairly thick and creamy without much carbonation present. This is surprisingly a fuller bodied taste than expected.

Overall, this is a great Belgian Quad that is further enhanced by being aged in whiskey barrels where it can draw out the charred oak and whiskey flavors. I live just over an hour from this brewery and just may drive up there and give the brewmaster(s) a big bear hug. Very pleased. (1,025 characters)

L: Dark but clear; not much headS: Apple cider; raison and grape; alcohol hits ya strong; oaky, vanilla; T: Cranberry at the beginning and finishes with prunes; cloves and allspice (like chai); alcohol in the finishF: smooth; not overly carbonated; soft bubbles; O: Very good strong belgian; well aged; a good sipping beer; good with stilton (345 characters)